Esteban Ocon arrived at Haas as the experienced hand meant to steady a young team. Halfway through 2026, the numbers have inverted that story. Teammate Ollie Bearman has outscored him 18 points to three, and the paddock is now treating Ocon's seat as a 2027 vacancy rather than a certainty.
Haas principal Ayao Komatsu has not hidden his disappointment, conceding that nobody at the team is satisfied with Ocon's sporting results. The qualifying gap tells its own story, and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok laid it bare on the Sky Sports F1 Show. "He will be feeling twitchy, won't he?" Chandhok said. "He's now down 8-3 in qualifying across all the situations that you can compare them. That's not a good score."
Ocon is pushing back. "There will always be talks when people look at the picture," he said, "but when you look deep inside, and knowing why I don't have many points this year, and all of these things, well it gets more clear." He points to inconsistent machinery rather than form: "We know that we are doing the right work. Now, it just needs to pay off." Asked directly about his future, he was blunt: "I don't know. We are into race, what, seven, eight? I need to focus on the job."
The frontrunner to replace him is Leonardo Fornaroli, the 21-year-old reigning Formula 2 champion and McLaren reserve, who impressed in a run in the Haas car. Komatsu was warm on him: "Leo is the reigning F2 champion, he is a strong driver and has a really good training program with McLaren, so we are happy with the chance to take a closer look at him." McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has been effusive: "When he gets in a car, be it a simulator, be it in the TPC car, or in a free practice one session, he is fast." Komatsu's verdict on the wider setup was simple — "Clearly what McLaren's doing with Leo is a very good programme."
Fornaroli is not the only name. Ferrari is pushing Rafael Camara, currently third in F2, and Chandhok would take the Brazilian over the more experienced options being floated. "Is Tsunoda an upgrade? I would go for Camara," he said. "If they were going to change it, go for a young hotshot." Toyota's multiple WEC champion Ryo Hirakawa, tied to Haas through the team's expanded Toyota partnership, is also in the mix, alongside reserve Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda.
Chandhok framed the bigger picture around Bearman, who Ferrari may yet promote. "Bearman's got experience now. By the time we get to next season, he would be in his third year," he said. "If Ollie does get promoted down the line, they've got Camara to step into that role."
Publicly, Komatsu is keeping his options open, insisting his focus remains on the current pairing rather than a signing. But with the on-track math running against Ocon, the pressure is now on the Frenchman to force a rethink before the summer break — or watch the seat go to someone a decade younger.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/ocons-haas-future-fades-as-fornaroli-leads-2027-chase). Visit for full coverage.*